Sleigh Ride

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Saturday, January 10, 1914: Got my first sleigh ride of the season last night. Most forgot what I did today.

Sleigh in Hadley Farm Museum, MA (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Sleigh in Hadley Farm Museum, MA (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma –

Wow, a sleigh ride! . . .  Was it after the dance that you wrote about yesterday? . .  .By the way, how was the dance?

Was it a moonlit night? Was the sleigh ride cold?  Were there lots of blankets in the sleigh to keep you warm?

Who else went on the sleigh ride? . . . your sister Ruth? . . . .a cute guy you danced with? (Did you snuggle with him under the blankets? . . . Oh, never mind, I just remembered that you are my grandmother, and that’s probably an inappropriate question.) 🙂

19 thoughts on “Sleigh Ride

  1. I hope my Miss Muffly did have a “snuggle up” under the blankies with a rather sweet guy, Sheryl 😆 I can say that because she’s not my Grandma. Living in hot, dry South Australia … I can only imagine the magic of a sleigh ride.

  2. Goodness, but Grandma sure held her cards close to her chest, didn’t she???
    Having been on three sleigh rides (with my hubby to snuggle up to), I can attest to how wonderful and romantic they are!!

  3. Was she afraid her sister got hold of her diary that she is keeping all the interesting details to herself? I hope she was riding in a pretty sleigh like the one in the picture!

  4. A cousin raised Clydesdales. One year after our family Christmas party, several of us were wondering what to do for fun. We called him up to ask about a sleigh ride. He had a BIG sled that must have seated 8 or more of us. He pulled us around a pasture covered in snow. It was cold, windy, snow in the face, and memorable.

  5. Very good job with your blog. It is a wonderful experiment. Have you ever talked with her in a dream? You could ask her to come to you before you go to bed. It is worth a try. Hugs, Barbara

Leave a reply to Mona Gustafson Affinito Cancel reply